Sales of female underwear rocket 63% as men emulate Christian Grey…but still turn 50 shades of red in the lingerie department

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UPDATED:

10:14 GMT, 30 August 2012

He is the billionaire bondage fanatic fanning the flames of lust in women across the globe.

And it's not just women that E.L. James' novel may be supercharging the sex-drives of as men trying to emulate Christian Grey are attempting to take control of their partner’s underwear purchases.

However, they are not quite as smooth as the erotic novel's hero, with lingerie stores reporting that men are turning 50 shades of red when browsing the latest laces.

Men trying to emulate Christian Grey are still slightly baffled when it comes to choosing the perfect set of underwear for their partner

Unlike the male protagonist in the hit novel, few men have an assistant they can send out to buy saucy smalls for their partners, instead real life romeos are hitting high street department stores themselves and buying underwear for their partners.

Men are investing in items traditionally reserved for Christmas gifts such as lacy bra and knicker sets in red, black and purple, which Debenhams have noted are up 63%.

While babydoll nighties have seen a 105% increase in sales over the last month.

Debenhams Head of Lingerie, Sharon Webb said: 'We’ve seen a huge increase in male customers visiting our lingerie departments, over the last fortnight.

'Usually we never see so many men until the week before Christmas when there is a mad rush. They’ve been spotted nervously loitering, their faces 50 shades of red as they try to find the perfect gift for their other halves.'

Not every man is as lucky as Christian Grey who has an assistant to help pick our the perfect underwear

Although these embarrassed husbands and boyfriends have taken the first steps into the underwear section they end up baffled and confused when confronted with the vast array of styles and sizes on offer.

'Fortunately our staff are well versed at discreetly coming to the rescue of red-faced Romeos struggling with the huge range of lingerie available in store,' added Webb.

'Since the 50 shades phenomenon men are purchasing more daring pieces. Traditional knicker sales have been surprisingly low, but we have seen a big increase in sales of babydoll negligees, silky underwear sets, thongs, stockings and suspenders.'